<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<recipeml version="0.5">
  <recipe>
    <head>
      <title>1988 2nd Place Pat Egan's Christmas Tree Cookies</title>
      <categories>
        <cat>Cookies</cat>
        <cat>Holiday</cat></categories>
      <yield>72</yield></head>
    <ingredients>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>2 1/2</qty>
          <unit>cups</unit></amt>
        <item>Flour</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1</qty>
          <unit>cup</unit></amt>
        <item>Sugar</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1</qty>
          <unit>cup</unit></amt>
        <item>Butter or margarine,</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty/>
          <unit/></amt>
        <item>Softened</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1 1/2</qty>
          <unit>teaspoons</unit></amt>
        <item>Baking powder</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1/4</qty>
          <unit>teaspoons</unit></amt>
        <item>Salt</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1/2</qty>
          <unit>teaspoons</unit></amt>
        <item>Almond extract</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1</qty>
          <unit/></amt>
        <item>Egg</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1/4</qty>
          <unit>cups</unit></amt>
        <item>Green sugar crystals, about</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1/4</qty>
          <unit>cups</unit></amt>
        <item>Confetti or nonpareil candy</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty/>
          <unit/></amt>
        <item>Decorations, optional</item></ing></ingredients>
    <directions>
      <step>   Preparation time: 20 minutes Chilling time: 4 hours Baking time: 10
  minutes
  
    1. Put flour, sugar, butter, baking powder, salt, almond extract and egg
  into large bowl of an electric mixer. Mix together, using low speed. Dough
  will be crumbly. Then knead dough with hands until mixture holds together.
  
    2. Remove 1/3 cup of the dough; wrap and refrigerate. Divide remaining
  dough in thirds. Using hands, roll each into a 6-inch log.
  
    3. Put sugar crystals on a sheet of wax paper. Roll each log in the sugar
  crystals to coat well; use the wax paper as a guide to press in crystals.
  Shape each log into a triangle, pressing gently on wax paper to give three
  sharp corners. Make sure to make 2 sides longer than the third side. Wrap
  each log well and refrigerate at least 4 hours or until dough is firm
  enough to slice. To this point, cookies can be made up to a week in
  advance.
  
    4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. To bake, slice logs crosswise into 1/4-inch
  slices. Put slices about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. For each
  cookie, shape about 1/2 teaspoon of the reserved 1/3 cup dough into a tree
  trunk. Attach to bottom underside of each tree. Sprinkle each cookie
  lightly with candy decorations, if desired. Bake until lightly browned,
  about 10 minutes. Carefully remove to wire racks. Cool completely.
  
    Note: The logs can be divided and shaped into 3 sizes and sliced to form
  a 3-tiered tree.   These second-place winning cookies are easily shaped
  into trees that are edged with glittery green sugar.
    Of her simple cookies, Pat Egan of Dolton, Illinois writes, "They're not
  a fancy or gourmet cookie, but a simple symbol of the Christmas season that
  is so close to my heart." from the Chicago Tribune annual Food Guide
  Holiday Cookie Contest December 8, 1988
  Posted to MM-Recipes Digest V3 #340
  
  From: Linda Place &lt;placel@worldnet.att.net&gt;
  
  Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 11:32:51 +0000
 
</step></directions></recipe></recipeml>
